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Jets use 40-point first half to rout Rams

Nov 9, 2008 - 11:39 PM By Joe Rizzo PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- It does not get any easier in the NFL than the St. Louis Rams made it in the first half Sunday for the New York Jets.

The defense forced four turnovers and Brett Favre and Thomas Jones took advantage by leading the Jets to eight straight first-half scoring drives in the biggest win in franchise history, a 47-3 demolition of St. Louis.

It was the first time a team scored on its first eight drives since October 1, 2000, when the Rams did it to San Diego. The victim this time, St. Louis could not hold on to the ball and watched Jay Feely sail a Jets' record-tying 55-yard field goal on the final play of the half for an astounding 40-0 lead.

The Jets' previous best margin of victory was a 45-3 win over the Houston Oilers on September 18, 1988.

Feely booted four field goals and Jones ran for three touchdowns and 149 yards as the Jets (6-3) won their fourth straight home game - their best run in the Meadowlands since coach Eric Mangini took over.

"The completeness of the game is something we've been stressing week-in and week-out," Mangini said. "We had so many positive things in different areas: being able to create turnovers and generate points off those turnovers, being able to score on all of those possessions in the first half, being able to protect the ball effectively, keeping penalties down and keeping turnovers down."

New York has a short week. The Jets will visit the England Patriots on Thursday, and the winner will take over sole possession of first place in the AFC East. New England won the first meeting between the teams here, 19-10.

The Rams (2-7) dropped their third straight game, all without injured running back Steven Jackson, after winning two in a row when Jim Haslett took over for fired coach Scott Linehan.

It was the third-worst defeat in Rams history, and their most lopsided since a record 48-0 blowout at San Francisco on December 27, 1987.

"It was embarrassing, that was bad football all the way around," Haslett said. "You turn the ball over, we had guys fumbling, interceptions. It was over at halftime."

Under Linehan, the Rams went 0-4 and lost by 35, 28, 24 and 17 points. St. Louis reverted to that form for the second straight week after a 34-13 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals, looking nothing like the team that knocked off the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys.

"It's either one of two things," said Haslett, who added he was undecided on his starting quarterback decision for next week's game in San Francisco. "Either they don't want to do it, or they're not good enough."

"The Rams got taken behind the woodshed," St. Louis guard Richie Incognito said. "We got our butts beat, that's what happened."

Favre completed 14-of-19 passes for 167 yards with no interceptions, hitting Dustin Keller six times for 107 yards and a score in the best game of the rookie tight end's career. The only time Favre was touched by the defense was after he immediately fell on a fumbled shotgun snap.

"There's nothing more fun that winning a football game like that," Favre said. "Every play we ran worked. I (actually) felt worse before the game. I felt 39 before the game. As the offensive line kept saying in the second half: 'Brett, don't throw it. Don't throw it.'"

"We thought we were capable of this," Keller said. "Now we know we are capable of it. The first week (of the season), we were not playing like we are now. I kind of wish the (New England) game was tomorrow with the way we played today."

Favre could not say enough about the first-round draft pick.

"I wish I had Dustin when I was younger," he said. "He has no idea how good he can be. He might think he does, but he doesn't."

The Jets took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards, with Jones going the final 13 to open the scoring. After a punt, they marched 61 yards - 54 on Favre's pass to Keller - to Feely's 22-yard field goal.

The Rams' first mistake came on the ensuing possession, as Marc Bulger was sacked by safety Abram Elam, and had his fumble scooped up at midfield by linebacker Calvin Pace, who took it in for a score and a 17-0 lead with 4:45 left in the first quarter.

It was the first career sack for Elam and the first touchdown for Pace.

"That's what you get paid the big bucks for," Pace said. "If it took one more bounce I might not have gotten it."

Jones capped a 58-yard drive with a two-yard scoring run with 12:05 left in the half and Feely connected from 49 yards just over five minutes later to push the gap to 27-0.

Then the turnovers came fast and furious, and aided the Jets in scoring on their next three drives.

Feely converted from 46 yards after safety Kerry Rhodes returned a fumble by Derrick Stanley 15 yards to the Rams 31.

Three plays later, Rhodes picked off Bulger and brought back the ball 50 yards to the 18, setting up Favre's one-yard scoring pass to Keller.

With just 22 seconds left before the half, the Rams handed off to Kenneth Darby, who ran 13 yards but fumbled away the ball to linebacker Eric Barton, allowing Feely to hit his 55-yarder as time expired and match Pat Leahy and John Hall for the franchise record.

The Rams went to Trent Green under center to open the second half. Green led them to a field goal and got them down to the 1 on the next drive, but Hank Poteat intercepted a tipped pass, raced to the Jets 41 and set up Jones' bullish six-yard TD run to make it 47-3.